Cardiff City have already reached what some are dubbing crisis point. Three defeats on the trot, and just one victory this season, have seen the Bluebirds plummet down the Championship table right towards the relegation zone.

But Cardiff go into the fixture against a backdrop of calls already for the head of Paul Trollope and demands he changes his 3-5-2 Wales Way of playing. Here's my take on the key issues...

Calls for Trollope to go

We are just seven games into the Championship season and already some fans are calling for the manager to go?

Am I surprised? Not really, the truth is many Bluebirds followers are simply at the end of their tether with events of recent years and this spills over towards the manager when results go wrong.

I don't feel sorry for Trolls. He knew the situation he was walking into and would have had confidence he could stamp his coaching expertise successfully on the players he inherited.

It's still very early days, but things aren't looking good. To lose 3-0 at Preston does nobody any good, least of the lot the manager, and some hard truths need to be spoken.

Cardiff City manager Paul Trollope

You end up in a situation where the fans turn on the manager, are unhappy with the players and that has a knock-on effect on everything. They are frustrated, and who can blame them after what they have had to put up with.

However, while I accept Cardiff are struggling and don't look like scoring, I still don't feel this is the time to just get rid of the manager.

Trollope can still turn this around, but the Championship is a damn hard division. As such, he is going to need to change the team's style of play, move away from what he seems to believe in so passionately.

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Why 'the Welsh Way' is not working

I think Trollope shot himself in the foot a little when he talked of his Bluebirds adopting a little of the mantra and style of Wales' successful Euro 2016 team, of which he, of course, was coach.

To be fair, Trollope didn't actually use the words 'We're going to play the Welsh Way', but that was inevitably the way the fans perceived it. As such, Trollope was immediately storing up trouble for himself.

His Bluebirds line up the same way as Wales, but the simple truth is they don't have the personnel to play that way.

Wales make it work because they have two truly world-class players in Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey, around whom the team revolves. Cardiff don't have those type of individuals, even at this lower level.

They don't even have a Hal Robson-Kanu, the type of striker who can run beyond defences and chase balls over the top.

Do Cardiff have the players to play the Wales way?

Wales are a counter team, utilising the pace of Bale and Robson-Kanu, and the artistry of Ramsey, on the break.

The Bluebirds have no pace and are set up too deep to cause any problems to the opposition on the counter. By the time Cardiff get anywhere near the penalty box, defensive lines are in place, there is no space. So it doesn't work, full-stop.

I read last week Cardiff want their own identity and consistent style of play, which will spell an end to the yo-yo, mish-mash of styles we had from Malky Mackay, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, then Russell Slade.

That's great, commendable, the right thing to do. I applaud it. But you can't just click your fingers and play 3-5-2 just like that. It takes years of preparation and Trollope doesn't have that time.

He played Kadeem Harris and Declan John as his wing backs against Preston. They've got zip, but can't defend well enough for the roles, in my opinion.

Chris Gunter and Neil Taylor do it brilliantly for Wales because they've been playing that style since John Toshack was in charge. And they've got the pace of Bale, running power of Robson-Kanu and midfield skills of Ramsey to help them.

When John Hartson came through as centre-forward with Wales, I was shunted out to that type of right-sided role by Mark Hughes. It's very specific. You have to know when to close down, who to close down, when to run back, what position to be in when you regain possession as a team, when to come inside.

It's very complicated, particularly when most youngsters are weaned on straightforward 4-4-2. I couldn't cope because I was a striker, not a wide player. Harris can't cope because he is a winger by trade. Winger is where he should play... without the defensive duties.

It's commendable Trollope is trying something a little more innovative by Championship standards, but for me it's time to go back to basics.

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The new-look team I'd pick against Leeds

Everyone will have their own opinion of the starting XI Cardiff should pick. For me, they need to revert to a straight 4-3-3, the type of formation players are far more comfortable in.

There would be a few big-name casualties. For example, I see no place in the side for Sean Morrison, even though he is captain, Anthony Pilkington or Lex Immers.

But it's for the good of the team, not individuals, that I would make these changes.

Everything has to be centred around getting the best out of Rickie Lambert, who can score the goals Cardiff need if he gets service. The way they set up at present, he doesn't get that service.

I would stick with Harris and Declan John on the flanks, but play them further forward as proper wingers, relieved of any responsibilites of having to defend. Remember, Declan did start out as a left-wing flier and I don't think he's good enough to play full-back.

His positional play was questionable before and I see no improvement, so free up the shackles in an advanced position for the Welsh youngster.

Why not Pilkington and Noone on the wings, you might say? They are the established pairing, Russell Slade favourites?

Because they aren't as quick as Harris and John and so wouldn't provide Lambert with the type of service in the box that he needs and would thrive upon.

If you put 10 balls over the top and set up a foot race with the opposition defender, I reckon Noone and Pilkington would get on the end of four of them. Maximum. So that could lead to possibly two crosses, one scoring opportunity if you're lucky.

Would Kadeem Harris be better off higher up the pitch?

Put 10 balls over the top for Harris and John and I reckon the ratio would increase to seven out of 10. They are real fliers, those two. Straight away they would get more crosses in, leading to more scoring opportunities for Lambert.

Trust me, provide the right service and he'll get on the end of it and score the goals Cardiff need.

Harris and John aren't as experienced as Noone and Pilkington, but have a foot race in training and I bet they'd win hands down every time. So keep them wide, but play them further up the pitch permanently.

Behind them I'd recall Peter Whittingham, but substitute him with Lex Immers as the game wears on. Those two can mix and match.

Behind them, Aaron Gunnarsson and Stuart O'Keefe can provide the legs, the tenacity, the tackling needed. The dogs of war, if you like.

At the back, Lee Peltier and one of Jazz Richards or Joe Bennett can be the full-backs. Peltier is a super defender, doesn't like getting forward. So let him defend and Harris can provide the permanent threat further forward.

As for the centre-backs, it's Bruno Manga and Matt Connolly for me. Manga has the mobility required, Connolly never lets Cardiff down and has various promotions to his name.

Yes, I know that means no place for Morrison, the captain. But he's their captain, not mine!